Paper short abstract:

A case study into Hawaiian demographic trends from 1-2022 CE opens up opportunities for examining Marine Transitions that have occurred across the archipelago and the implications for societies and ecologies.

Paper long abstract:

To determine how ecologies and societies transformed and impacted Marine Transitions, we must establish an understanding of past human population trends in coastal regions. As a precursor to developing a global demographic series, we present a case study for the archipelago of Hawaii, revealing novel population insights through the era of human settlement on the islands, c 1000 - 2022 CE. The methodology employed for deriving our population estimates is described and the implications for past marine exploitation across the islands are also discussed.

This work is based on the latest research and consideration of multiple academic and statistical sources in the fields of history, archaeology and demographic studies. The marine impact of human settlement and exploitation requires population estimates to provide the basis for quantitative assessment and enumeration of past marine extractions. Through developing population series, our work can contribute to assessing when and where Marine Transitions were occurring in Pacific marine environments. Furthermore, this case study offers a template for expanding demographic research to surrounding Polynesian Islands, and into the larger Oceania.